Creative Writing
- Department English
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Minor
At W&L, creative writing is embedded in the study of literature. Students read widely; practice critical analysis; study the forms, modes and histories of literature in English; and develop their own writing through creative exercises and workshop critique. Small classes, dedicated faculty and a lively program of extracurricular offerings foster a supportive and challenging writing community.
Creative Writing
W&L has cultivated great student and faculty writing for decades through the English Department and the literary magazine. Distinguished alumni include Tom Wolfe, Marshall Boswell, Mark Richard, Christian Wiman, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Rebecca Makkai, Matthew Neill Null and Suzanne LaFleur.
The English Department offers a popular creative writing minor. Students do not need to be English majors to minor in creative writing; most major in other subjects.
Scholarships, Internships and Awards
The English Department offers a variety of scholarships as well as awards for both creative and critical writing. Shenandoah has published fiction, poetry and nonfiction from an astounding list of writers including Wallace Stevens, Flannery O’Connor, e. e. cummings, Rita Dove, Ha Jin and many others over its nearly 70-year history.
Students in the Shenandoah Magazine Internship learn the art, craft and business of publishing. A look behind the scenes at a working magazine is a valuable experience for writers and non-writers alike, and promises the hands-on development of skills relevant to a variety of fields after graduation. Students practice and learn literary editing, copyediting, professional communication, budgeting, how to design publicity material, and digital strategies, under the mentorship of a professional editor.
News
The public reading by the former Shenandoah editorial fellows will take place Feb. 11 in Northen Auditorium.
Smith served as the literary magazine’s editor for 23 years.
The public reading will take place Nov. 12 in Northen Auditorium.
Parsard’s lecture on Sept. 26, titled “The Friending Plot: Sexual & Economic Freedoms in Early 20th Century Caribbean Fiction,” is free and open to the public.
Taylor is moving to Niigata Prefecture, Japan, to work as an assistant language teacher for the JET Program.
Ryan Doty’s summer passion project explored his family lineage through poetry and photography.
The public reading will take place May 1 at 7 p.m. in Northen Auditorium inside Leyburn Library.
Dungy’s public reading will take place Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. in Northen Auditorium inside Leyburn Library.
Booker will give a lecture on Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. in in Leyburn Library’s Northen Auditorium.
She will read from her widely anticipated new novel, “Thistlefoot.”
Hailer will give a public lecture on March 31 at 6 p.m. in Northen Auditorium inside Leyburn Library.
O’Neil will give a public lecture on March 14 at 6 p.m. in the Hillel House sanctuary.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Chris Gavaler
Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8279
- E: gavalerc@wlu.edu
Gavaler teaches courses on creative writing, contemporary fiction and comics, which are also his main areas of research.
Genelle Gertz
Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8763
- E: gertzg@wlu.edu
Gertz teaches courses on Milton, the Tudors and the Bible. She is currently working on methods of social network analysis as they apply to our understanding of the rise and fall of women mystics in English literary history.
Deborah A. Miranda
Thomas H. Broadus, Jr. Professor of English Emeritus
- P: 540-458-8755
- E: mirandad@wlu.edu
Miranda primarily taught courses on creative writing (poetry and memoir) and contemporary American literature by authors from the margins of U.S. culture. Her research pertains to Native American and Chicana/o poetry and fiction, women’s literature and LGBTQ literature.
Beth A. Staples
Assistant Professor of English and Editor, Shenandoah
- P: 540-458-8761
- E: bstaples@wlu.edu
Staples teaches courses in creative writing, editing and publishing. She is also the editor of W&L’s literary magazine, Shenandoah.
Lesley Wheeler
Henry S. Fox Professor of English
Wheeler teaches courses in poetry, creative writing and speculative fiction. Her research interests include 20th- and 21st-century poetry in English, especially as it involves sound, gender, politics and world-building.